A night of revelry ended in tragedy for a Pietermaritzburg man who, after leaving an Ashdown nightclub, decided to take the party to the road.

Lwazi Dladla was shot three times after he allegedly parked in the middle of the road in Ashdown obstructing traffic early on Sunday morning.

It is believed that Dladla and his friend were coming from one of the nightclubs in the area and had parked their car in the middle of the road, and placed a cooler box on the ground, causing an obstruction to other motorists.

An irate driver behind them wanted to pass them but found the road blocked.

He confronted Dladla and a heated argument ensued. A gun was pulled out and Dladla was shot three times.

One of the gunshots struck Dladla in the left eye with the bullet exiting the back of his skull.

After shooting Dladla, the 45-year-old suspect jumped into his car and drove to Plessislaer Police Station where he handed himself over and was placed under arrest.

Dladla’s friend, who was unharmed, followed the suspect to the police station.

Speaking to The Witness, the owner of the club that Dladla and his friend had visited said the incident happened just 200m away from his premises.

“Gunshots were fired and immediately both cars fled the scene. We thought that people passing by were playing with a firearm. We don’t have a clue as to who these people were and what happened. We are glad the matter is with the police.”

uMgungundlovu District SAPS spokesperson Sergeant Sifiso Gwala confirmed the suspect has been arrested for the murder.

“The suspect was arrested and the firearm was seized. Acting out of anger can lead to serious consequences as we have seen in this case. A murder case is being investigated,” said Gwala.

Plessislaer community policing forum chairperson Sifiso Mavundla said it is concerning to see people losing their lives in road rage incidents.

“We will [continue to] kill each other [if] we lack patience and respect for others. As painful as it is that a life was lost, we are grateful that the suspect handed himself over to the police. The law must take its course.

“We hope that SAPS and traffic police will intervene and prevent instances where people block roads. I experienced a similar ordeal in Sweetwaters where inconsiderate people had blocked the road with their cars. I hooted but then just had to wait patiently for them to move their vehicles,” said Mavundla.

The suspect is expected to appear in court today.